Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
21 August 2014
This past week I was working with
a parishioner on the floor refinishing project.
When we finished for the day, she made to feather in the boundary
between the refinished and old sections, and I suggested that we should leave
the borders stark and visible, that we want people to see the progress. I made a half joke about the “raggèd edge of
ministry”. Little did I know how that
joke would become manifest.
The first day this week I had a
young woman come to see me. She was in
distress because she had found her life partner dead. I knew him and her, having worked with both
of them on and off over the past two years as they struggled to put their lives
together despite long histories of substance abuse. They worshipped with us a couple of times,
and one of the reasons she came here in an hour of need was to just say “thank
you” for what the people of this parish have done. In speaking with her we talked about his
death (from drugs), her struggle (with drugs), and how absent God and an
abiding relationship with Him, we all will seek but not find. Obviously, she was in shock, and so we spoke
much about grief and about resurrection.
In the course of this conversation it became obvious that she needed
prayer, and that she also needed anointing for healing. And so it was that I found myself (having
been working on the floor) standing to anoint
and pray while wearing shorts and a T-shirt, knee pads and old shoes;
while being somewhat covered in grime, and yet then placing a priest’s stole
over my shoulders and my hands upon her head to pray, to anoint with the holy
oil of healing, and to incarnate the presence of our Lord who comes to all in
need and invites that their burdens may be cast upon Him.
Ministry without a raggèd edge is
in grave danger of becoming self-satisfying, of becoming too comfortable. One thing that is witnessed to in all of the
gospel accounts is that our Lord never stopped being on the edge. When we get too comfortable it can be easy to
say something like, “Well, I’m not Jesus Christ.” Which is true except that we
are Jesus Christ. We incarnate Christ. We are His Body, a Body which hungers
and thirsts, and feels weariness, but a Body which nonetheless continues in
mission, continues in service, continues to enter those dark places where
people are lost, to bring the light; to bring the Way, the Truth and the
Life. When we do this we are sometimes
covered with grime, and the stole of our office sometimes looks a little
strange over our work clothes. But it is
at the raggèd edge that beauty and love, truth and good are most manifest, for
it is at the edge that we can see the contrast between that which is eternal
and that which is just dirt.
Grace Abounds: Please thank:
§
Bobbi Kraft and Bryan Stenz
for setting up Sunday coffee hour, and Tom Crouse and Julie Davidson for
clean-up.
§
Jane Hanson for help in the
office.
§ Jennifer Pawlus and Pat Reiss for help with the floor
refinishing project.
Call for
Contributions: If you have a spiritual reflection to share,
or want to point your fellow worshippers toward a resource, submit your
contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by Wednesday in the week of publication.
A Prayer for the
People of Iraq:
Eternal God,
in whose perfect kingdom
no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness,
no strength known but the strength of love:
So mightily spread abroad your Spirit,
That all peoples may be gathered
under the banner of the Prince of Peace,
as children of one Father;
to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
in whose perfect kingdom
no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness,
no strength known but the strength of love:
So mightily spread abroad your Spirit,
That all peoples may be gathered
under the banner of the Prince of Peace,
as children of one Father;
to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
This Prayer for Peace is found at
p. 815 of The Book of Common Prayer.
It’s use is commended to the Church in this season by our presiding
Bishop, The Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts-Schorri.
Sheboygan County
Interfaith Organization (SCIO): With all of the discussion in the parish about the LoveINC initiative, let’s not
forget SCIO. The parish supports SCIO
with an annual donation, and members of Grace also work in SCIO-sponsored
ministries. Mary Ann N. attends SCIO
meetings for Grace, but in order to elevate the profile of opportunities to
serve we are specifically recruiting your interest. Get further details at www.sheboygancountyinterfaith.org . We need an in-parish champion
who can provide timely electornic media feeds for the blog, newsletter,
Facebook page, etc. If you are
interested, speak to Mary Ann and also to Fr. Karl.
Music this week: Proper 16A
Prelude Matines Louis Vierne
Entrance Hymn 427
“When morning gilds the skies” Laudes Domini
Offertory Hymn 525 “The
Church’s one foundation” Aurelia
Communion Hymn
655 “O Jesus I have promised” Nyland
Closing Hymn
411 “O
bless the Lord, my soul!” St. Thomas (Williams)
Postlude Thou art the Rock Henri Mulet
“Thou art the Rock, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against thee.”
Parish Notices
§ Stewardship:
There will be a meeting of all callers for the stewardship campaign this
Sunday, 24 August, at 9 a.m. in the St. Mark Room (the Vestry room).
§ Youth and Family Informational Meeting: All are welcome to come and share ideas for
Youth and Family activities for this coming year. We will meet Sunday, August
24th from 5:30 – 7:00pm for dinner.
The venue has not yet been decided
§ We will be having an
open and idea exploring discussion about our ideas and hopes for our Youth and
Family ministries. Our plan is to put together a list of ideas for us to
discuss, implement, explore, and expand, and also to fill in a calendar for
these two ministries. This means that anyone that needs to come with you is
invited. If you have any concerns, please let me know. If you can' make it to
the meeting feel free to send your ideas and thoughts to NJWhitford@gmail.com. Thank you for being a part of this
conversation, and for your input,
§ Mass in the Grass:
Please join us Sunday, September 7, 2014 for an outdoor Mass and All Church
Picnic at Deland Community Center, 901 Broughton Dr., Sheboygan, the Mass will
begin at 10:15 a.m. with lunch following. There will be games and an appearance
by Hiccup the Clown for our children’s enjoyment. Inviting guests is
encouraged. There will be ONE MASS only that day. Please sign up
on the sheet on the Narthex table.
§ Sunday School Begins: We are getting excited about Sunday School! The teachers have met and
plans are being made for another wonderful year of learning about the love of
Jesus Christ! Sunday School will begin on September 14th at
9:00am. Please watch for more information.
§ Walsingham Music and Flowers: The Walsingham Pilgrimage is just around the corner and preparations are
being made. We will have a quiet day with meditations concluding with Solemn
Evensong on October 10th; and a Solemn Pontifical Mass with the
Gaudete Brass again this year on October 11th. Please donate so we
can once again offer beautiful music that has become so much a part of the
pilgrimage and the flowers that add so much to the beauty of holiness. Please
make you check out to Grace Church with Walsingham music or flowers or both in
the memo. Thank you.
§ Intercessory Prayer Team: The prayer team has changed their time of prayer in the church to
Saturdays at 11:00am. All are welcome to come and pray for Grace Church and the
world. If you have questions please call the office.
§ “Before and After”:
The floor cleaning project to well underway! The Chapel of Christ the King is
complete and the floors surrounding the high altar are finished with the help
from many people. If you are interested in participating, see Fr. Karl. This
is tough, physical labor, so if you are challenged in working on hands and
knees, consider whether you want to help with material costs, with a gift
outside of your regular giving to the parish. Thank you to all who are helping.
No comments:
Post a Comment